The Russian Federal Security Service arrested a Chechen militant, who is on the federal wanted list for charges on terrorism, in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, a spokesman for the local Federal Security Service department said Wednesday.
The official said that Rizvan Aziyev, 26, was an "emir" or terrorist group commander and had been schooled at the field training camp of major international terrorist known as Khattab who was killed in Chechnya in 2000 in a special military operation.
Investigators said Aziyev has been linked to terrorist attacks on Russian military units, the blowing up of buildings and the murder of law enforcement officers.
Two of his brothers were sentenced to prison in 2002 on terrorism charges.
Aziyev lived in Irkutsk with friends and held a fake passport. The friends could have possibly known that he was linked to terrorists, but have not disclosed any information on the issue, the spokesman said.
He said Aziyev's stay in Irkutsk and the possibility that other militants were joining him there had been a real threat to the region